Mail-bag



- (No Model.)

J. A. BRIGGS.

MAIL BAG- No. 375,311. Patented Dec; 20, 1887;

WlTNEE-EES- INV-ENTEIFL JZQMU [B ST N, PETERS. Fhmoulhognflur,Washington. D. C-

.a metallic frame secured to the bag.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. BRIGGS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-BAG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,311, dated December20, 1887.

Application filed September 22, 1887. Serial No. 250,457. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that-I, JOHN A. BRIGGS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMail-Bags; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters andfigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My present invention relates to certain improvements in the mail-bagpatented by me March 3, 1885, the object of which is to dispense withthe supplementary flap covering the entire top of the bag andsubstituting there for a smaller flap of peculiar construction, wherebythe lock and lock staple or link are more fully protected from injury,the bag is rendered less cumbersome, and at the same time provision ismade for a card or label holder. v Y

My invention consists of a flap covering the month of the bag andprovided with a slotted steel plate for the lock to rest upon and withan opening to display a card or label held in The smaller lock-flapabove mentioned is riveted to the back of the bag and is' furnished witha strap and buckle for securing it in position, and also with rivets toprevent wear while in contact with the lock.

My invention further consists of a swiveljoint for attaching thesafety-strap to the bag.

The accompanying drawings contain eight different viewsFigures 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, and 8-in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts.

Fig. 1 is a front view of my mail-bag closed and flaps secured. Fig. 2is a front View of same with bag closed and fastened and lockflap thrownback, exposing lock to view. Fig. 3 is also a front View showingsafety-strap released and bag open. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional viewon line a b of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line0 d of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is asectional view of the swiveljoint by which thesafetystrap is attached The flap A, covering the mouth of the bag B, issecured to the upper back edge of same, and is provided on the left andfront part with a steel plate, 0, held in position by means of rivets,as shown in Fig. 2. The said plate 0 is furnished in the center with aslot, D, corresponding with slots D, D", and D", made through the flapand through the back and front sides ofthe bag, through which is passedthe swivel-link E on the free end of the safetystrap F.

The steel frame G, Fig. 3, is secured by rivets in a vertical positionon the upper edge of the bag, and contains a card or label, H, on whichis inscribed the name of the place of destination. The said card orlabel is inserted at the upper edge of the frame G, which is made openfor the purpose, and is held in position when the bag is closed by meansof a rivet, e, in the flap A,which passes into a slot, f, as shown inFigs. 3 and 8. An opening, I, Fig. 3, of suitable dimensions is made inthe flap A directly opposite the frame G, through which the card orlabel is visible when theflap is turned down to close the bag.

The lock-flap J, Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, is fastened with rivets to theback of and on the outside of the bag opposite the padlock K. It is ofproper size to completely cover the look when turned down, and isfurnished with projections i i, which extend on each side of the lockand bear against the bag, thus effectually shielding the lock andits'swivetlink. A securing-strap, L, Figs. 2, 3, and 4, is attached toor forms part of said lock-flap J, and is passed through an inclinedslot, M, made through the front and back of the bag, and also throughthe flap J, in order to reach a buckle, N, secured to the back portionof the flap, by which means it (the flap) is secured in position. Theobject in forming the slot M in an inclined direction is to facilitatethe introduction of the strap and cause the end to project upward towardthe buckle.

. In order to prevent the lock-flap J from wearing away at the pointwhere it is brought in contact with the padlock and the swivellink, afew rivets, k k k, are inserted in the flap, as shown in Fig. 2. On theend of the safetystrap F, which is attached to the back portion of thebag, are riveted two steel plates, 1? and P, as shown in Fig. 6, througheach of which a circular opening, R, is formed to admit the steelbutton-head rivet S. The shank of this rivet is made with a shoulderwhich rests upon a washer, T, on the outside of the bag and passesthrough a similar washer, T, on the inside of the bag, at which point itis riveted fast. The strap F, with its steel plates 1? I? to preventwear, is permitted to turn freely upon the rivet S, so that it may bemore easily manipulated than if it were riveted fast.

The steel plate 0, Fig. 2, not only forms a metal bearing for the lockto rest upon to prevent wear of the leather, but it also clamps the endof the covering-flap A,when the strap L is securely fastened. closelyagainst the bag to assist in securing the mouth. The strap L has but onehole, U, Figs. 2 and 3, in it, which is provided with a metal eyelet toprevent the tongue of the buckle from wearing the leather. The saideyelet can be renewed when needed.

The safety-strap slots D, D, and D, and also the card-slot I, areprotected with rivets, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings.

In closing and locking the bag the flap A is turned down, so that theslots D correspond with the slots D and D". The safety-strap is rovealternately through the slots until the swivel-link E projects throughthe slot D in the steel plate 0. The padlock is then secured and thelock-flap brought down and fastened to the buckle on the back of thebag.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. The combination of the lock-flap J, secured to the back portion ofthe mail-bag 13, provided on the inner surface with side projections, ii, to rest upon the front part of flap A, securing-strap L, adapted topass through the inclined slot M to connect with the buckle N, andswivel-link E, united to the safety-strap F, arranged to shield thepadlock and link when the bag is closed, substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. The combination of the card or label holder G, riveted in a verticalposition to the front part of the bag B and provided with a, slot, f, inits upper end, flap A, having opening I I herethrough coinciding withlabel-holder G when the flap is closed, and furnished with rivet e atthe bottom of the opening to engage with the slot in said label-holderand confine the tag when the bag is closed, substantially as set forthand shown.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN A BRIG GS.

Vitnesses:

A. H. MORGAN, EDWIN F. Lo'r'r.

